Subnanomolar Affinity and Selective Antagonism at α7 Nicotinic Receptor by Combined Modifications of 2-Triethylammonium Ethyl Ether of 4-Stilbenol (MG624).

Modifications of the cationic head and the ethylene linker of 2-(triethylammonium)ethyl ether of 4-stilbenol (MG624) have been proved to produce selective α9*-nAChR antagonism devoid of any effect on the α7-subtype. Here, single structural changes at the styryl portion of MG624 lead to prevailing α7-nAChR antagonism without abolishing α9*-nAChR antagonism. Nevertheless, rigidification of the styryl into an aromatic bicycle, better if including a H-bond donor NH, such as 5-indolyl (31), resulted in higher and more selective α7-nAChR affinity. Hybridization of this modification with the constraint of the 2-triethylammoniumethyloxy portion into (R)-N,N-dimethyl-3-pyrrolidiniumoxy substructure, previously reported as the best modification for the α7-nAChR affinity of MG624 (2), was a winning strategy. The resulting hybrid 33 had a subnanomolar α7-nAChR affinity and was a potent and selective α7-nAChR antagonist, producing at the α7-, but not at the α9*-nAChR, a profound loss of subsequent ACh function.

Ketogenic diet-induced extension of longevity in epileptic Kcna1-null mice is influenced by gender and age at treatment onset.

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a leading cause of premature mortality in patients with epilepsy, and has been linked to multiple risk factors, including gender and early age at seizure onset. Despite the lack of a targeted therapy for SUDEP, it has recently been shown that a high-fat, low carbohydrate ketogenic diet (KD) enhances longevity in the epileptic Kcna1-null (KO) mouse, a validated model of SUDEP. Here, we asked whether the KD-driven prolongation of lifespan in KO mice is dependent on sex and/or age at treatment onset. We found that as KO mice aged, their daily seizure frequency steadily increased, but had early demise by postnatal day (PD) 46.9±0.8. In KO mice started on the KD at PD30, longevity was extended to a mean of PD69.8±1.7, accompanied with improved seizure control. Interestingly, while seizure control on the KD was similar between male and female mice, KD-fed female KO mice survived longer than their male counterparts. Further, epileptic mice initiated on the KD at PD25 had longer lifespans compared to those placed on the KD starting at PD35. Collectively, these data further support the notion that the KD can retard disease progression and sudden death in KO mice, but that this beneficial action is influenced by gender and age at the start of treatment.

The effect of high fat diet and saturated fatty acids on insulin signaling in the amygdala and hypothalamus of rats.

Insulin injections into the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) inhibit food intake but this response is lost quickly on feeding a high fat diet. The purpose of the studies described in this manuscript was to identify the potential mechanism for the development of this insulin resistance. High fat diets (HFD) induced PKCθ activation and blocked the stimulation of Akt but not mTOR phosphorylation in the amygdala in response to CeA insulin injections. Infusions of palmitic acid onto the CeA had identical effects to HFD on PKCθ expression and insulin signaling in the amygdala. CeA insulin also induced an increase in Akt phosphorylation in the hypothalamus but had no effect on hypothalamic mTOR phosphorylation. Feeding HFD but not CeA palmitate infusions reversed the hypothalamic Akt signaling response to CeA insulin. These data, which show the independence of Akt and mTOR signaling responses to insulin in the amygdala and the effect of insulin signaling in the CeA on hypothalamic Akt signaling, suggest that the amygdala might also have a significant role in regulating hypothalamic responses to dietary fat.

PKCθ expression in the amygdala regulates insulin signaling, food intake and body weight.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the signaling mechanisms that might underlie the loss of anorectic response to insulin injections into the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) within 3 days of feeding a high fat diet. DESIGN AND METHODS: Protein samples from amygdala and hypothalamus of rats fed high or low fat diets were subjected to a phosphorylation screening assay. The effects of dietary fat intake on the expression and activation of protein kinase C theta (PKCθ) in brain regions was studied. Finally, lentiviral vectors were used to overexpress rat PKCθ unilaterally or bilaterally into the CeA of rats and the effects on food intake, body weight and insulin stimulation of Akt phosphorylation were studied. RESULTS: The level of pMARCKS (Myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate), a major substrate of PKCθ, was increased 116% in amygdala of high fat diet fed rats but reduced in the hypothalamus. High fat diets increased the level of PKCθ in a region specific manner in the brain and this PKCθ was activated by membrane association. Overexpressing rat PKCθ either unilaterally or bilaterally into the CeA inhibited insulin stimulation of Akt signaling and blocked the anorectic response to insulin injected into the amygdala. Bilaterally injected PKCθ rats gained more weight and body fat and had increased food intake when fed a high fat diet compared to the control rats that received a lentiviral-Green Fluorescent Protein construct. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that insulin may have a physiological role within the amygdala to regulate energy balance.

PKCθ over expression in the central nucleus of the amygdala or hypothalamus has differential effects on energy balance and peripheral glucose homeostasis.

The increase in PKCθ expression in the amygdala of rats fed high fat diet (HFD) has been related to the loss of the anorectic response to insulin injections into the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) in these animals. PKCθ overexpression in the CeA increases food intake, body weight and body fat and inhibits insulin stimulation of Akt signaling. To study the effects of bilateral overexpression of PKCθ in the CeA of rats on peripheral metabolism, rats were injected into the CeA or 3rd ventricle with a lentiviral (LV)-PKCθ construct or LV-Green fluorescent protein (GFP) construct as a control and fed either LFD or HFD. Insulin and glucose tolerance tests were undertaken and hepatic AMPK activation, Pepck, Srebp1c gene expression and lipid levels assayed. CeA LV-PKCθ injected rats increased food intake, body weight and body fat and increased hepatic, but not serum, triglyceride levels compared to control rats that received a CeA-LV-GFP construct. Hepatic AMP-kinase activity was reduced but expression of Pepck increased while serum insulin decreased, glucose tolerance improved and the hypoglycemic response to insulin was enhanced in CeA LV-PKCθ injected rats. In contrast, rats that received LV-PKCθ injections into the 3rd Ventricle did not show any changes in food intake or body weight although serum, but not hepatic, triglyceride levels were increased and glucose tolerance was impaired. The data suggest that activation of PKCθ in the CeA and hypothalamus have different effects on energy balance and peripheral metabolism and that insulin signaling in the amygdala regulates peripheral metabolism.

Enterostatin affects cyclic AMP and ERK signaling pathways to regulate Agouti-related protein (AgRP) expression.

Enterostatin, a gut-brain peptide, inhibits dietary fat intake in rats. The purpose of this study was to identify the intracellular signaling pathways that are responsive to enterostatin and that modulate the effects of enterostatin on the expression of Agouti-related protein (AgRP). We used the hypothalamic GT1-7 neuronal cell line to identify the effects of enterostatin on cyclic AMP and ERK signaling using conventional immunoassays or Western blots to assay the activity of these pathways. Enterostatin enhanced the level of cyclic AMP, PKA(RIIbeta) and phospho-CREB and increased pERK levels in GT 1-7 cells. The effects on pERK were rapid (7.5 min) and dose-dependent. These signaling responses were blocked by an antibody to the enterostatin receptor (beta subunit of F1-ATPase), by the pERK inhibitor U0126 and by the P2Y receptor antagonist Suramin. Enterostatin showed a biphasic effect on AgRP mRNA, initially increasing but subsequently decreasing the levels. The cyclic AMP activator Sp-cAMP increased AgRP mRNA expression. Transfection of a wild type ERK construct reduced AgRP mRNA levels. Enterostatin inhibited expression of Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4), a transcriptional regulator of AgRP. KLF4 gene expression was increased by Sp-cAMP but decreased by wild-type ERK expression. U0126 blocked the effect of enterostatin on KLF4 expression. We conclude that enterostatin binding to its receptor activates the pERK pathway to inhibit AgRP gene expression but may enhance AgRP expression through activation of the cyclic AMP pathway. These pathways probably mediate the enterostatin inhibition of dietary fat intake.